produced. There are others, again, whose moral conduct may have been unexceptionable in the judgment of men. They may have been upright in their dealings, acceptable in their intercourse, regular in their outward observance of ordinances. For there may be all this, while the heart is not right towards God. Now, in such instances, when the heart is changed, as true religion does not obtrude itself upon public notice ostentatiously, the superficial eye may be unable to observe that any change has taken place. But as far as there is opportunity, the change that has been produced within will manifest itself by an improvement of the outward conduct; and the man who is actuated by a true faith will be zealous to maintain good works. For the reasons already mentioned, I shall not attempt an enumeration of the particulars of this improvement. I shall merely observe, in general, that they may be summed up in the words of the Apostle, -"The grace of God that bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present evil world." There is another description of the Spiritual life, which may be too long to quote at present, but to which I refer you, (Eph. iv. 17, to the end.) We would wish you to mark this, and not to satisfy yourselves with once reading it over, but to refer to frequently, and to pray and to labour that your life may be conformed to it. It may be considered as containing an admirable outline of what ought to be the Christian's daily walk. It teaches us to keep in subjection the evil desires of the flesh and of the mind, to repress every angry and every malignant feeling-to be truthful in all our wordshonest in all our dealings-industrious in our lawful calling-humble and meek, and gentle and kind, in our deportment-and in our conversation consulting always the benefit of those who hear us. I shall merely repeat, before leaving this head, that where our views and sentiments are changed, our practice, wherever there is opportunity, will be changed also. Faith, without works, is dead. And if any man think that the frequency with which his thoughts are directed to religious subjects, or even the warmth of his feelings while engaged in devotional exercises, is a proof that he is in Christ, while he continues in an outward course of disobedience, he is under the influence of a deadly delusion. It is impossible to say how much injury is done to the cause of religion by those whose practice is thus at variance with their profession. When men are seen regular in their observance of ordinances-ready to condemn the conduct of the thoughtless and profane-using the language of the Gospel-and yet exhibiting the same worldly-mindedness-the same angry or envious feelings the same pitiful thirsting after the applause of men a little better concealed perhaps, but not less. real-than what are to be found in the ungodly-a suspicion is cast upon the reality of Christian principle altogether; and all the professors of religion are looked upon either as deceivers or as deceived. Nothing, indeed, can be more erroneous than such a conclusion. Still, however, the inconsistencies in the lives of professing Christians are calculated to lead to it; and those who are guilty of such incon sistencies are, therefore, accountable for all the evil they thus occasion. The man who is in Christ will seek to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things, by a life void of offence toward God and toward man. He will not be satisfied with directing his thoughts to religious subjects, or with having his devotional feelings excited within him; he will seek that his light may shine before men. Not that he will obtrude it upon their notice-not that he will hold it up in pride of his own superiority—not that he will ostentatiously display it to attract their notice and their praise-not that he will thrust it upon them, to excite their impatience and aversion; that would be foreign to the end he has in view, which is that it may so shine-with so serene, so mild, and so attractive a ray, that others may see his good works, and glorify his Father which is ir heaven." 66 I cannot conclude this subject without interposing again the caution I have so often made, that we are not to suppose that every man who is in Christ has actually arrived at the measure we have described. But we do certainly conceive that the seeds are in every renewed heart, which will, if allowed to grow, arrive at this maturity. Let me beseech you, my friends, to examine yourselves by the test which has been given, whether ye be in the faith. A change such as we have described cannot be produced, or maintained, without the aids of the Spirit of God; and in his operations, means are employed, to which we would urge one and all of you to have recourse; reading, and hearing the word, and praying with all supplication, that the means you employ may be accompanied with the Divine blessing. Are there any among you who have "the testimony of your consciences, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, you have your conversation in the world?"-Let me beseech you to continue stedfast. Never think you have attained, but by continual recourse to God's word and dependence upon God's Spirit-seek that ye may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Are there any of you who have nothing of the thoughts, or feelings, or practice, described? Consider your condition. Without holiness, you are depriving yourself at present of the pure joys that religion never fails to bestow; and being without a meetness for heaven, there can be no heaven for you. PART SIXTH. SANCTIFICATION-ITS PROGRESS, AUTHOR, AND MEANS. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”—EPH. iv. 23. IN formerly discoursing from these words, we turned your attention to the extent of the change that takes place by the work of sanctification. By that work we are renewed in the whole man. The man who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature; old things are passed away, and behold all things have become There is nothing which relates to him which new. has not undergone an alteration. feelings, his pursuits, are all new. His thoughts, his person that we did before, with the same endowment of natural faculties. But we see him another, while he is yet the same. A new light has broken in upon his understanding; his sentiments and principles have undergone an entire alteration; the whole tenor of his life and conversation is new. Once he was blind, now he sees once he was dead in trespasses and sins, now he is alive unto righteousness-once he was going on in the broad way of destruction, now he has entered in at the strait gate, and is following the narrow way. This renovation is after the image of God. Man was originally formed after the divine |